Silver Violins
by Shut Up Breanna
Summary: When Helenas mother falls sick and on the verge on death her father sends her to the Institute in London. There she meets the other children her age who live there also, including Jem. Throughout the years, her connection with Jem slowly grows.
1. The Beginning

Chapter One

I sat beside my mothers bed watching her take slow, short breaths while tracing the dark marks along her hand. I heard the bedroom door open and glanced toward it.

My father stood there with a frown,"Helena. Get up." He commanded, a rough French accent coming through.

"Why?"

"JUST GET UP, HELENA!"

"I-..."

He quickly crossed the room to me and grabbed my shoulders, pulling me up. The smell of alcohol on his breath invaded my nose as he dragged me toward the door.

"F-father, what are you doing?"

"A carriage is waiting for you outside." He replied.

"Why?" My voice rose, tears filling my eyes.

"You are going to the Institute in London."

"Why can't I stay here?"

"Reasons, Helena." He said pulling me into the hallway.

"And those reasons are?" I asked trying to pull away from him.

He quickly shut the bedroom door,"Because your _mother _is **dying**, Helena. She more than likely won't make it to tomorrow. You shouldn't be here when she passes."

I shook my head,"Why must I leave then?"

"Because, I can not take care of you."

"You never have. I can take care of myself."

He rose his hand, but drew it back,"Maybe I will come back for you. You are only fourteen." He dragged me down the stairs and toward the door.

"Father! PAPA! No! The Institute is for shadowhunters who have no place else to go!"

"And that is what you are," he said finally pushing me out of the door and into the carriage.  
>_<p>

A/N: And thank you for reading the first chapter, much love 3 Please leave a review to tell me what you think so far. I'll try my hardest to keep updating if you like it.

Disclaimer: I don't own The Infernal Devices. :)


	2. Ship Bound

Chapter Two

My father pushed me in the carriage and locked it from the outside. I lifted my skirts up and kicked at the at the carriage door.

"A woman will be waiting for you at the docks." He yelled to the door.

I screamed and kicked the door once more before the carriage lurched forward.

"Oy! Sit down and stop your kicking!" the driver yelled.

I threw myself down and tugged at the loose ends of my braided hair. Soon the carriage had stopped and the door opened.

"Your ship is waiting." The middle aged man said, handing me a piece of paper.

"I am going by myself?"

"It's a short trip." He confirmed.

"My _father _is sending a fourteen year old girl, by herself?"

He shrugged and pointed to the ships. I frowned and took the papers, then quickly walked over and boarded the ship.

The sunshine quickly turned to dingy rainclouds. I sighed and placed myself in an uncrowded corner of the ship where crewmen and families weren't walking. Glancing at the marks on my hands I tried to pull down my sleeves to cover them. Suddenly whatever light in front of me and been overshadowed, I looked up.

"A lil young to be all by yerself, eh? And wit some tattoos to boot?" A greasy old man, slurred, leaning forward toward me.

I turned my head away to avoid the smell of his breath,"And you are a bit old to be preying on young girls."

He chuckled,"The younger the better," he replied holding his grubby hands out toward me.

"By the Angel,"I mumbled, pressing myself farther against the wall.

"By the what?" He got closer.

I pursed my lips,"By this." I replied with a kick to his shin. He quickly fell backwards and stayed there. A mundane family glared at me in shock.

"What?" I snapped, "He fell."

They quickly shuffled away and I moved closer to the front of the ship as the docks came into view. Within the next few minutes the ship had docked and other people started to file off the ship. Quickly I blended myself in and followed them onto the ground.

I considered boarding right back on the boat and returning right to France. I smiled, thinking about what my father would do if I did this, but was broken out of my thoughts by a voice yelling my name.

I turned my head to see a woman probably only a few years older than I was and started to look away until I saw the marks on her hand.

She made her way toward me,"Helena Chevalier?"

I nodded.

She seemed unsure of what to say next," _Parle-vous-..."_

"I speak English." I said quickly before she finished her sentence.

She laughed,"That's a convenience. My name is Charlotte. I run the London Institute." She looked behind me,"Where is your trunks?

I frowned and looked away,"My father pushed me out of the house before I could gather anything."

"Oh..." She glanced around.

I looked down at my lilac dress,"I'm sure this dress will be fine...at least until my father comes back for me." This knawed at my chest, knowing he wouldn't come for me. Hopefully, she wouldn't realize this and just take me back to the Institute.

"Nonsense," she smiled," We shall go pick up a few things before we head back."

I stared at her in silence as she motioned for me to follow her to a shop.


	3. Dresses and Questions

Chapter Three

I followed Charlotte into a few shops where she gladly bought me a variety of colorful dresses. Surprisingly, she let me pick the colors, something neither my mother or father let me do. After buying the dresses we set back onto the streets.

"So,"Charlotte began,"Did you carry on with your studies and training?"

"Oh, my father stopped training me after my mother got sick. My mother handled me and my studies."I felt my voice crack, thinking about my mother.

Charlotte stayed silent for a moment,"The Institute is a lovely place. Big enough for you to run around and whatnot. You could choose your own room, there's more than a hundred rooms to-."

I cut her off,"I know. Most institutes are like that. I've visited the one in Paris before with my father."

"Ah, of course. Well, there are a few others living there about your age as well."

This reassured me somehow,"Really?"

"Yes, two boys and one girl. Jessamine, she's about a year older than you I'm pretty sure. Then there is Will, he can be a handful, but hopefully he should not be a problem."

She said there was three others, didn't she? "Charlotte, you said there was two boys and one girl. You named only one of the boys and the girl, what about the other boy?"

"Oh," she seemed uncomfortable. "Jem, of course."

"Jem? Like a jewel? A gem?"

"Yes,"she confirmed. "He's a very sweet boy, his looks might be taken as peculiar though, even his condition."

"What do you mean by 'his condition'?"

She stumbled over the right words," Nothing you need to worry about. He's just of slight ill health."

_Ill health_. That's what my father had said about my mother when she had first gotten sick.

The walk was fairly silent as we continued our way to the Institute in the dreary London weather. France was relatively sunny and warm during the summer, but it didn't seem like I would be seeing much sunlight here.

I broke the silence,"Charlotte? Are you the only adult in the Institute?"

"Heavens no! There's my husband there also. The maid and cook, of course."

"You're married?"

"Yes."She answered, smiling. I saw Charlotte stop in the corner of my eye and stopped beside her. "We are here,"she smiled and opened the large wooden door to let me in.

I looked up at the large church like building. To me, it looked like a miniature model of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. It was surely bigger than the Institute in Paris.

I looked through the door and stepped into my new home.

~!

**A/N - I'm trying, I really am. haha. Please leave a review and tell me what you think, good or bad. I just started on chapter 4 so hopefully that'll be done by Monday.**


	4. Tiresome

Chapter Four

Charlotte shut the door behind me and I looked into the entrance way. The room we were in was somewhat bare and there was a few paintings and other decorations placed against the walls. There was a long hallway to the left, which possibly led to the kitchen and dining room. On the right of us, a staircase stood, which led up to the next floor. I assumed, it being like the Institute in Paris, that led to the bedrooms or maybe even one of the many other types of rooms of the Institute.

"Sophie?" Charlotte called out.

A young woman, about eighteen, came out from the hallway at the left of us. "Yes?" She was wearing a black and white maid dress, her brown hair curled up in a bun except for a few strands covering the left side of her face.

"Sophie, this is Helena Chevalier. She's our newest member of the Institute. Helena this is Sophie, she's the maid here."

Sophie curtsied and smiled,"Hello miss."

I smiled back,"Hello."

"Sophie, could you take Helena upstairs to pick out a room then help her get ready for dinner in a few hours?

Sophie nodded and started toward the staircase.

"Sophie? Where is Will and Jem? It's awfully quiet."

She stopped,"Master Will is in the training room and Master Jem wasn't feeling well,so I believe he's in his room."

Charlotte nodded,"Thank you, Sophie. Now Helena, follow Sophie and she will help you pick out the room you want."

I quickly followed Sophie up to the staircase and into the long hallway of the second floor. I looked around and saw that at the end of the staircase, there was another staircase reversed beside it leading up to the next floor.

I walked through the hallway and glanced at the identical doors along the walls.

"What rooms are taken?" I asked Sophie, stopping a door in the middle.

"The one you are standing at and the one farther down the hallway. Miss Jessamine refuses to stay on the same floor as the boys so she took a room in one of the upper floors."

I nodded and glanced at the door beside me. From the room I could hear the faint sound of what sounded like Adagio by Vivaldi being played on what could only be a violin. I listened to the soothing music then moved to the door to the left of it.

"Is this room taken?"

Sophie shook her head.

I opened up the door and stepped into the bright room. The curtains were drawn to let in the sunlight. There was a large bed on the left wall and a fireplace across from it. The room in general though was dreadfully boring even in color.

Sophie must have sensed my slight distaste,"Once you get settled in, you can decorate the room however you like. In your favorite colors if you like or you could go through all the extra decorations Miss Jessamine wanted to get rid of."

I nodded,"That sounds wonderful." I smiled at her.

She nodded at me not smiling,"Dinner is an hour. I will bring in the dresses Mrs. Branwell bought and help you get ready." She started to leave.

"Sophie? Does someone play the violin in the next room?"

"Yes. That's Master Jem."

"Oh. Didn't you say he wasn't feeling well?"

"He must have recovered somewhat over the passed hour or so." She said, taking leave.

Within the next ten minutes Sophie returned with my dresses.

"You seem to have a liking for purple, miss."

I nodded, picking out the lavender evening dress with white lace trim. She laid it out on the bed and came over to help me out of the dress I was wearing. She fit the evening dress over me and tied the back.

"Would you like me to fix your braid?"

I glanced in the mirror and saw my dark brown hair falling out of the once tight braid that was in my hair.

I shook my head and smiled,"I'll get it."

She nodded and turned quickly to leave. As she turned, the loose hair on the left side of her face moved to show a long thin scar running from her temple to the corner of her mouth. I looked away, holding back a gasp even though she wouldn't have heard it as she left the room.

Pushing the thought from my head, I sat down at the vanity and loosened my braid, letting my hair fall to my shoulders. I dragged a brush through it untangling the knots, then started twisting my hair into a somewhat still ragged looking braid.

"Mother could have braided it nicely." I mumbled out loud to myself. I wondered if within the last few hours I had left if she had taken her last breaths. The thought caused my heart to drop as I stared at myself in the mirror. My green eyes reflected the same color as my mothers as they started to fill with tears. I pushed the tears away as I heard the door open behind me.

I stood and saw Sophie peeking in.

"It's dinner time, miss."

**A/N: I'm sorry! I'm, like, a week late for this chapter. I've been in a super procrastination mood all week, though. I tried again. haha. I thought the beginning was good then it kind of went *flop*. Forgive me? **

**Leave a review, good or bad, please.**


	5. Must be Demon Pox

Chapter 5

I blinked a few times to keep away the tears and stood up from the vanity and followed Sophie out into the hallway.

"Mrs. Branwell informed the cook to prepare some French cuisine for dinner tonight to help you feel at home here."Sophie informed me.

"Oh really?" I asked following her down the stairway and into the entry room. The faint smell of chicken invaded my nose. She led me into the dining room where I saw Charlotte and a man with wild ginger hair sitting beside each other.

"Oh, Helena. Sit anywhere. The others should be in here shortly." Charlotte instructed.

I nodded and sat somewhat close to her edge of the table.

"Helena, this is my husband, Henry." She motioned to the man who seemed more interested in the small pile of gears in front of him.

I nodded and continued to sit quietly at the table. I few minutes later another girl waltzed into the dining room. She had blonde hair curled up in a loose bun and brown eyes. She caught me glancing at her and stopped.

"Charlotte, who is this?"

"Jessamine, this is Helena Chevalier. I told all of you about her this morning before I left."

"Oh,"she sat down across from me,"so you are from Paris?"

I blinked at her,"Yes."

"I've always wanted to go there. Is it-"she was cut off by a boy walking in.

"No one really cares about what you want, Jessie."He quickly said while sitting down.

"I'm sure she cares about my current thoughts,"she motioned toward me.

His blue eyes locked on mine,"Who are you?"

"Really now? Does no one listen to me?"Charlotte asked out loud.

I looked at her, then turned back to the boy and Jessamine,"I'm Helena."

"She's from Paris, Will." Jessamine said excitedly.

"Ah, a Parisian girl? I've heard things about Parisian women." He laughed.

"Will!" Charlotte snapped at him.

He stayed quiet for a moment,"So why are you here?"

My eyes widened,"Oh...my father sent me away."

"Is there a reason?"Jessamine inquired.

Charlotte cleared her throat.

"My mother was...is sick." I said.

"Sick of what?"

"I don't know." I answered.

"Was it Demon Pox? I bet it was Demon Pox." Will said.

I stared at him,"Demon Pox?"

"Demon Pox isn't real, Will." A another boy said walking in.

"Yes it is, Jem. Her mother has it." He pointed to me.

"I don't think it was Demon Pox." I quickly said.

"Then what was it?"

I shrugged and mumbled something in French.

"Will be quiet and Jem will you sit down, please?"

Jem did so beside Will. Looking at them they were complete opposites in looks. Will had somewhat tan skin that was probably a dash lighter than mine. He had black hair and dark blue eyes. Jem, though, was pretty much the exact opposite. He was pale with shockingly silver hair and his upturned eyes closely matched his hair.

A few silent moments later a woman entered with a cart of food and started passing it out.

I stared down at the plate of food for a moment before I realized what it was.

"What is this?" Will asked, poking at it with his fork.

"It's _coq au vin._ Chicken cooked with wine and mushrooms. It's a traditional French dish." I answered.

The table was silent while we ate. When we finished we all dispersed and went back to our rooms.

I stopped beside my door as I saw Jem coming up the stairs with Will.

"And it's the French girl again." Will said.

"And it's the boy who thinks my mother has Demon Pox." I said back, starting to open my door.

"Oh, you chose the room beside mine?" Jem asked.

"Um...yes... I heard music and chose this one."

"You heard his violin rackett and still chose the room beside him?" Will glared.

"It sounded nice, that's why I chose the room."

"French girls,"Will muttered,shook his head,and walked away.

I turned back to Jem to see he already entered his room. I sighed and walked into my own to get ready for bed.

**A/N: Here's chapter 5 in it's quick written glory. Leave a review please. *sigh* There might be a short time skip soon(expect a lot of time skips). I have more random scenes written than anything. Le sigh. ****I just realized I didn't add something I wanted to be told about.**

**Anyway, please review and tell me of the crappiness. I'll work on chapter 6 soon.**

**I got ONE review for chapter 4, which saddened me. But I have 9 reviews, but that's good since there's only 5 chapters now.**


	6. Breakfast

Chapter Six

"Why didn't your father send you to the Institute in Paris? It's much closer." Will asked at breakfast.

"I guess because it would be easier for me to get back home." I sighed, poking the eggs on my plate with a fork.

"It really doesn't make sense for him to send you here, though."Jem added while sipping tea.

I shrugged and continued to nibble at my eggs.

Jessamine looked over and poked the mark on my hand with her fork,"Why would you do that?"

"Do what?" I asked her.

"Why would you get those marks? It's so unladylike and just...disgusting."

I stared at her.

"Jessamine, you are a shadowhunter just like Helena. You may not have the marks, but the blood is still running through your veins." Charlotte glared at Jessamine.

Jessamine scoffed,"I'm not a shadowhunter, I refuse to be."

Will yawned,"It really is like trying to talk to a toddler, Charlotte."

"Which _is _how we feel with you sometimes, Will." Jem said, continuing to eat.

"See Will, even your _parabatai, _can't stand you sometimes."

"I'm surprised you even know what a _parabatai _is." Will shot back.

I started to ignore them as Charlotte broke up the bickering between Jessamine and Will. The table silenced again and I looked up at Jem,"So you and Will are _parabatai_?"

He looked at me and set his tea cup down,"Yes."He smiled.

"For about,"Charlotte looked up in thought,"three months now."

I nodded and finished off my tea,"That's nice."

"I'm assuming that you don't have a _parabatai_, Helena?" Jem asked.

I shook my head,"Of course not. My father thought it was impratical to have a _parabatai_, especially for me being a girl. But, he thought a lot of things were impratical. It doesn't bother me, though."

"Well, it shouldn't bother you at all." Jem smiled again.

I couldn't help myself and smiled back.

"Oh, this is lovely. The French girl isn't even here a day and she's already making googly eyes across the table." Jessamine snorted.

I turned my head and glared at her,"I did no such thing."

"Of course not...it's just the way French girls are, I suppose." Jessamine yawned.

"Jessamine! Helena has done nothing to you! Breakfast is over, you might find it more comforting in your room than in here with us carrying on a nice conversation." Charlotte scolded.

Jessamine sighed,"But Charlotte, I've been here longer."

"That has nothing to do with anything."

It was clear that Jessamine was not going to stop complaining, so I dabbed a napkin on my lips and stood up,"I think I am going to go into my room for a little bit."

"Of course, it's a French girls paradise in there, I'm sure."

I stopped behind her chair and exhaled loudly, debating if I should take the teapot from the middle of the table and dump it over her head.

"Well, Jessamine, some men have to have another choice when the blondes have no idea what they are doing."

She let out a gasp and then pursed her lips together. I heard Will snicker as I walked out of the dining room.  
>_<p>

_**AN: **_**Oh look, you made it through another chapter. Please leave a review. :)**


	7. Letter

Chapter Seven

_**Two weeks later**_

I looked out of my bedroom window and sighed as the rain started to fall again from the late afternoon sky. It's been two weeks since I first got here and it seemed that I wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. I closed the curtains, laid back on the bed, and listened to the soft violin music coming from the room next door.

About a minute later there was a knock at the door and Sophie walked in.

"You have a letter, miss."

I sat up and she handed me the folded up paper. "Thank you, Sophie."

She nodded then took leave. I opened up the letter and read.

_Helena Chevalier,_

_We are sorry to inform you that your mother's funeral was held at the end of last week. She had passed soon after you were sent to London. Your father informed us that he would tell you himself about her funeral. Our condolences are with you, and may the Angel be by your side. _

I dropped the letter on the floor and stared silently at the wall. Laying back down I buried my face in the soft pillows. I let the tears for my mother fall and soak the pillow. Soon the tears ran out and I just laid there.

Once again the door opened and I heard Sophie's voice from the door."It's dinner time, miss."

"I am not hungry right now." I told her without getting up from the bed.

"Shall I put a plate aside for you?"

"Yes, please do."

The door closed again and I sat up to change into a nightgown. Once I did, I laid back down under the warm blankets. Sadly, the violin music had stopped since Jem must have gone to dinner. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, hoping that sleep would take over. I tossed and turned for at least an hour or so. A few minutes passed and I heard conversations being had in the hall, after a minute or two they stopped and it was quiet again.

Giving up on sleep, I rose from my bed. I shrugged on my on my green nightgown cover and walked out into the hallway. From Jem's room I could hear that his soft violin music. After a few seconds he stopped to play a different song.

I saw Will come up the stairs and I started up the stairs on the other side.

"Where are you going?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

I shrugged,"I was going to walk around." I noticed the small pastry in his hand. "What is that?"

"It's an eclair, very delicious and French apparently. You missed out on dinner."

"I was not very hungry."

He shrugged, shoving the pastry in his mouth, and then walking into Jems room without so much as a knock. Jems music silenced and I continued up the stairs to the next floor. For at least twenty minutes I wandered in and out the extra rooms of the Institute. Soon I ended up in the library.

The library was quite bigger than any of the other rooms. I walked around peeking at the bookshelves, noticing a few familiar titles. The obvious shadowhunter books were on a shelf all on their own. The library was also filled with books that mundanes would fictional.

I grabbed a book that seemed fairly familiar. _Les Miserables _was one that both my mother and father seemed fond of. I sat at the long meeting table in the middle of the room and slowly flipped through the pages, recalling a few of my mothers favorite parts.

The library door creaked open and I shut the book, looking up. Jem slid into the library, holding his violin.

He looked up and saw me,"Oh, I didn't know you were going to be in here."

"I just wandered in here,"I replied.

He sat across from me at the table and sat his violin down. "What are you reading?" He asked, curiously.

I glanced down,"I found _Les Miserables._ My mother liked this book."

He nodded,"Oh...I noticed you weren't at dinner."

I sighed,"Yes. I got a bit of news right before."

"I want to say that it wasn't good news?"

"No, not at all."I sighed once more then changed the subject,"Why did you come in here with your violin?"

"Will decided he was going to take over my room tonight."

"Oh,"I nodded and my eyes settled on his silvery hair and upturned eyes."Where are you from?"

He blinked at me,"Shanghai."

"China? You don't seem-.""

He cut me off and smiled,"I know. I used to have dark hair and eyes."

"Used to?"

He shook his head,"Nothing."

"I think Charlotte told me you had 'peculiar' looks due to an illness?"

"Oh, yes."

I changed the subject."Your violin music is lovely."

He looked taken back,"Um...thank you. Will usually just complains that it is racket."

I laughed,"Will clearly needs to get his ears examined, then."

"How often do you listen?"

"If I am in my room, awake, and you are playing I'll hear it through the wall." I smile.

"It doesn't bother you at all?"

"Of course not."

The library door opened once more and Will walked in.

"You disappeared on me, James."

"You were taking over my room so I retreated to somewhere where I could play in peace."

He walked toward us,"And you came to the library and found her?"

"Yes, she was already in here."

Will nodded and picked up the book in front of me. "It's a terribly long book, somewhat boring also."

I sighed," My parents were fond of it."

"You haven't read it?" Will asked, nudging my arm with the book.

"No, I haven't."

"Well you probably saved yourself some valuable time, then."

"Maybe,"I yawned.

"It is getting late,"Jem announced as the large clock ticked midnight.

Will set the book back down,"Indeed, are you going to read this or not?"

"Maybe later,"I said, standing up, and then placing the book back in its spot.

When I had turned around Will had already left and Jem stood by the table with his violin.

"Are you going to bed?" I asked.

He shook his head,"I think I might play for a small bit."

"Oh, well goodnight then, Jem." I told him, walking to the door.

"Goodnight, Helena."

**A/N: ANNNND...this is where chapter 7 ends. It's 2:30 in the morning and I decided to write after starting to watch Supernatural for teh first time... *head hits pillow***

_**PLEASE**_** leave a review and let me know how I'm doing or I'll just assume that I'm doing a crappy job.**

**Also...I think this is the longest chapter so far...**


	8. Battle of Oranges

Chapter Eight

_**One year later***_

I opened my eyes to Charlotte standing over me. I jumped up almost falling out of the bed.

"I'm sorry if I startled you, but there is...something...that I must speak to you and the others about."

I blinked and rubbed my eyes,"Are we in some sort of trouble?"

"No, no of course not...well...not really."

I started to open my mouth, but Charlotte quickly cut me off,"Sophie will be in here in a minute or two to help you get dressed. I will be in the dining room."

Charlotte turned and left the room, Sophie entered right after she left. Sophie walked over to my wardrobe and opened the doors,"What dress would you like to wear today, miss?"

I slowly worked my way to the edge of the bed and stood up,"I guess the lavender and black lace one, Sophie."

I glanced toward the window and saw the the sun had barely even risen.

Sophie pulled the dress I wanted out of the wardrobe and sat it on the bed and got my accessories together. She glanced toward the ground and seemed to be staring down at my feet.

"Is something wrong, Sophie?"

She looked up and moved a piece of hair out from in front of her face. About a week or two after I got here, I had noticed that Sophie had a scar on one side of her face that ran from her temple. Of course, I had left her alone about it and did not ask where it had come from.

"Oh, nothing miss. I just noticed that your night gown seems to be getting shorter."

I looked down,"Oh, I guess I must be getting taller."

She sighed,"Must be."

She helped me change into my dress and she braided my hair then twisted it into a bun. I slipped on my heels. "Do you know what Charlotte wants to talk about?"

Sophie shook her head and sprayed me with a bit of French perfume Charlotte had given me on my birthday. She smiled at me then left the room.

I left my room and walked to the dining room. Charlotte was already there sipping on her tea. Jem was already seated also and was cutting at an apple. Will, who had not bothered to change out his night shirt, sat there with a pair of trousers on while scooping sugar into a tea cup.

I sat at the table and silently looked around the room. Charlotte looked tired and somewhat annoyed as she glanced toward Will and Jem.

Jessamine came into the dining room, her heels hitting the floor angrily.

"I don't understand why _I _have to be here this early in the morning,"Jessamine mumbled as she sat beside me.

I groaned and started peeling at an orange in front of me,"Then leave, go back to your room, and whine about being a shadowhunter."

Jessamine scoffed," I _am not _a shadowhunter."

Charlotte sighed,"Yes you are Jessamine."

Jessamine rolled her eyes.

"So Charlotte, why _are _we here this early?" Will asked.

"I have been receiving quite a few letters this week asking if I have made sure that all of you have been training enough."

Jessamine blinked,"Is that it? Why am I here then?"

Charlotte rubbed her temples,"Just because, Jessamine."

"Helena, Jem, and Will...you will need to start training at least everyday now. I'm sure I will be held accountable if you three are not properly trained."

Jem looked at her,"We train every other afternoon."

"I know, but this just might be temporary."

"Wonderful." Jessamine mumbled.

I rolled my eyes and tried to tear apart the orange I had. I tore a piece and apparently some of the juice had splattered and landed in Jessamines face.

Jessamine screeched and jumped up,"YOU GOT ORANGE IN MY EYE!"

I threw my hands up,"I'm sorry! It was an accident!"

Jessamine took the orange and threw it at my face,"I DOUBT IT!"

I wiped my face off and glared at her. She frowned and backed up. Without thinking, I had raised my hand and slapped her across the face which caused her to squeal and drop back into her chair.

Will let out a burst of laughter and Charlotte quickly shot up,"HELENA!"

I threw myself down into the chair and mumbled in French.

"My cheek will be bruised!"

"It's not like anyone looks at your face anyway, Jessamine!"

"Jessamine go to your room and Helena go change into your training clothes! You obviously need to let out some steam. Will and Jem do the same!"

Jessamine quickly stood up and ran out of the dining room, groaning out of anger.

Jem and Will left the room and I walked to my room to change into my training clothes and to calm myself down a bit.

"Jessamine did deserve what you gave her,"Will laughed as he passed my room.

"Shut up, Will." I said walking into my room and slamming the door. Quickly I stripped out of my dress, put on my uncomfortable training trouser pants and black tunic top and laid down on my bed before leaving.

"This is ridiculous,"I mumbled to myself before getting up again and heading to the training room.

Jem and Will both looked at me.

Will smirked,"You wouldn't happen to have any oranges in your possession would you? I would like to keep my eyesight."

"_Va te faire voir,_"I mumbled.

"_Oui_,"Will said.

I blinked,"Do you even know what I said?"

"He didn't,"Jem answered.

"I am not surprised,"I said.

"You know, Helena, I kind of thought with you being here for a year your French accent would disappear,"Will said while walking to the sword stand.

"I do not have an accent."

"You do actually,"Jem started. "You won't notice unless you are aware of it."

I blinked,"Oh."

"It is quite annoying sometimes,"Will said handing me a sword.

I took the sword,"I'm sure my accent is less annoying than you are most of the time."

"She speaks the truth, Will."

I smiled and looked at the sword,"Am I going to train by myself?"

Jem smiled at me,"I will go a round with you." He took the sword from Will.

Will blinked at him,"Are you w-."

Jem cut him off,"I am fine."

Will backed off and leaned against the wall to watch us.

We walked to the middle of the training room and I swung the sword first. Jem was a flash of silver as he dodged my slash and he hit my shoulder with the hilt of his sword. I jumped back and struck at his legs.

"Oh come on, Jem!"Will groaned.

I giggled as Jem swung at me once more, but suddenly he dropped his sword.

I blinked,"Jem? What did I do?"

"You didn't do any-,"Suddenly he coughed and Will was by his side.

"Jem? What-."

Jem coughed again and blood splattered against the hard wood floor.

I gasped,"Jem! By the Angel!" I started toward the door to scream for Charlotte.

"Helena! Stop yelling and help me move Jem to his room." Will said angrily. There was a hint of worry in his voice and eyes.

"We should get Charlotte!"I said as I helped them to his room.

"No!"Will said entering Jems room and dragging Jem into the room.

"Then-."

Will cut me off,"He will explain later."He said slamming the door in my face.  
>_<p>

Hai. Long time, no update. Once again I tried my best. Please review.

*Yup timeskip

_Va te faire voir = Go to hell._


	9. Explanation

Chapter Nine

I stared at the closed door and took a deep sigh. I returned to my room unsure if I should go to Charlotte about Jem being ill. Will seemed very sure of what he should do.

Deciding not to go to Charlotte, I stripped out of my horrid training clothes and into one of my favorite dresses. There wasn't much noise coming from Jems room, which of course caused slightly more worry.

I waited a few more moments before walking out of the room and returning to in front of Jems door. I knocked and Will peeked out of the door.

"What do you want?"He asked snidely.

I glared at him,"I want to know how Jem is doing."

"He is fine."

I sighed,"He did not look fine, Will."

He pursed his lips,"It...he is fine, it's not of your concern."

I started to give up,"I'm sure Charlotte would like to know what has happened."

Will groaned loudly.

"Will? Who is there?"A hoarse voice from within the room asked.

"It's-,"I cut Will off.

"It's Helena, Jem. Are you better now?"

Jem stayed quiet,"Will..."

Will started to shut the door.

"No, Will, let her in."

Will looked somewhat shocked,"She shouldn't need to know."

"I am sure she would like an explanation, Will."

Will frowned and stepped aside to let me enter. I slowly entered the room. I never gave any thought on what Jems room would look like. But I suppose my expectations might have been a little high.

His room was as simple as mine. The bed was in the same place as mine except closer to the window, which had a window seat. His violin was placed on the seat and beside the case sat open. There was a small fire going in the fireplace that kept the room somewhat warm.

Jem was sitting up in his bed.

"James, are you-."

Jem looked at Will,"I will tell her,"he looked at me,"if you want to know."

I nodded,"You are quite ill some days, but today you-,"Jem cut me off.

"Some days are worse than others."Jem looked down.

"What...what causes this, Jem?"

He sighed,"When I was about twelve, when I still lived in Shanghai, my mother killed a demons young. Of course, I assume, _it _wanted to avenge its young."

My stomach churned as I listened to the rest of his story. The demon, _Yanluo_, tortured him and his parents. It killed his parents and injected him slowly with its venom. When other shadowhunters finally found him, his body was already addicted to the venom.

I took a deep breath,"So you are being...kept alive...by-."

"Demon drugs, yes. Helena, it's...it's an addiction. If I don't take it,"he picked up the small box on his night stand and shook his head.

My heart dropped at the sight of him. I wanted to leave the room and return to mine. Out of everybody in the Institute, Jem had it the worst. He was dying, slowly, everyday.

"Does Charlotte know?"I couldn't help but ask.

Jem nodded,"She's the only other one in the Institute that knows, besides Will and you now."

"And don't go and tell everybody you have afternoon tea with,"Will said.

I turned to him,"The only ones I have afternoon tea with are Charlotte and Jessamine. I wouldn't tell Jessamine anything that was not her business even if her life depended on it."

Will frowned,"Women are so gossipy."

I rolled my eyes and looked back at Jem,"Are you doing better now? Would you like me to get Sophie to bring you some tea?"

He cracked a smile,"I am fine for now, Helena."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded,"Thank you, Helena."

I looked at him oddly,"For what?"

"You were surprisingly understanding. I have a feeling if it were anybody else they would have already turned their back on me."

I cracked a smile at him,"I would never turn my back on you, Jem. I consider you a friend, it would be hard to look at you any differently than I already did."

He looked at me for a moment and grinned at me,"We never did finish our training session."

Will snorted,"And you won't."

I laughed,"At least not today, I'll just think of it as a small victory for me."

Jem smiled,"Of course."

I turned to leave,"I will see you tonight at dinner?"

"Hopefully."

I nodded at Jem and left the room. I laid on my bed and took in everything that had happened in the past hour or two.

Jem was dying. He might not die today or tomorrow, but he doesn't have a lot of time left. I sighed and a tear escaped the corner of my eye. I quickly wiped it away and turned onto my side.

After a while I heard Jem start to play his violin and smiled at the fact he was well enough to play his music. Soon the music relaxed me enough to help me fall asleep for a nap.

~!~

**I really don't like the way this chapter turned out. Not the best come back chapter :/ But please review and yell at me.**

**Also, there were a couple questions**

**Yes, this is going to be a Jem/OC fanfic**

**They're about 15 here.**


	10. Chapter 10

I'm sorry for not updating in forever but I just haven't been into TID and TMI in a while.

I feel horrible for abandoning SV, but I have an idea on what I want to do now. I have about 20+ extra scenes for SV. So I might make a collection of one-shots and post them.

Yes/No?


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